Joanne R. Rund has served as Chief of the Baltimore County Fire Department (BCoFD) since 2019. She is BCoFD's first permanently appointed female fire chief. As Chief, Rund has focused on creating a culture of inclusiveness, respect and teamwork; health, safety and fitness for Fire and EMS personnel; and building a constructive relationship between career and volunteer members. She manages a $113 million operating budget, more than 1,000 sworn and civilian personnel, and oversees operations conducted by 25 career and 29 volunteer companies.
Prior to her appointment by County Executive John Olszewski, Rund served for 32 years in the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services (HCDFRS). In Howard County, Rund held leadership positions in operations, administrative service, education and training. Prior to joining HCDFRS, she served as a volunteer emergency services (EMS) provider in Carroll County and in 1993 obtained her instructor certification.
Rund holds numerous certifications in the field of health and safety and is a Level 4 Certified Command Officer. She holds the National Fire Academy’s Advanced Safety Officer Program certification, and serves as associate faculty at the University of Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute. Rund has served as committee chair for the Maryland Metro Chiefs Life Safety Committee, whose mission is education of EMS providers on 16 life safety initiatives and reduction of line of duty deaths in Maryland.
At the national level, Rund works with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. In 2014 she was named Region III Advocate Coordinator and remains on a roster of instructors dedicated to reducing line of duty deaths in the U.S. Rund serves as Director at Large with the Safety Health and Survival Section.
In 2018, Rund was accepted to the prestigious International Association of Fire Chief’s Fire Service Executive Development Institute Program.